Be careful what you wish for
by TrunksLoneWarrioranimelove
Summary: What would you do if you woke up in a strange place, and were called by someone else's name? Even worse, what if your reflection is not you anymore? Poor Edward Elric had no idea he was going to switch bodies with someone else. Watch him suffer. Bwahaha. This story has been adopted by CrimsonLuna, but it is CURRENTLY ONGOING AND NOT ABANDONED ANYMORE.
1. Chapter 1 Hubris pays its price

A/N:Redo of this story is going on. As of 1/10/13, this story will be consecutively edited and updated, to be sure it's not bad. The first version of this was quite bad, so the new version will be much better, I guarantee that much. Okay, CrimsonLuna, how come you've changed your version so much? Wasn't it supposed to be Ed switches places with _Lelouch, not C.C? _It feels like you're killing the whole idea. Ah, well.

* * *

Chapter 1 Hubris has its price

The blood-red sun slipped down as the blackness of night consumed it whole, casting a dark veil over the world and its inhabitants. The world was constantly changing, so the nighttide did not perturb the residents of this town, for they had been accustomed to dark things happening for a long time. The only inhabitant who was not aware of the darkness happened to be unconscious, so he would not be aware of anything for a while longer.

The door burst open and an oddly animate suit of armor entered. In his arms lay the inert figure of a teenage boy, who appeared to be no older than thirteen. His blond hair was matted with blood, and his wet clothing was tattered in various places. Even the stupidest observer could tell that this boy had been in a fight. "Please...help my brother! He's been wounded!" The armor exclaimed, oddly possessing a human voice as well.

A doctor came up to the armor, and took the wounded teenager from the armor's arms, and began to inspect him. "What exactly happened, Mr...?" He asked, though he was a little puzzled at the fact that he was speaking to an animate suit of armor. It was an odd thing that he had never seen before, but he supposed odd things could happen.

"I'm Alphonse Elric, sir, and this is my brother, Edward Elric. We're state alchemists who work with the military! He...was wounded in a fight! Please...help him!" Al pleaded.

Ah, alchemists. That explained why they were so odd. He knew their ilk often ran into all sorts of trouble. Still, it wasn't his place to judge.

"I presume he was struck on the head, judging from his wound...and his chest also seems to be wounded as well," The doctor surmised, gazing from Ed to Al.

"Y-Yes. Is he going to be all right?" Al pressed worriedly. His brother was all he had left-no, he was the only thing Al had now. Everyone else in his life was gone, and he was not about to let his own brother die, dammit!

"We'll see. Please wait out in the waiting room, Mr. Alphonse. There is someone else out there, isn't there?" The doctor asked.

Al's eyes widened in recognition at the term "someone else." Could it be..._Winry?_

The second he walked out of the doctor's office and into the waiting room, his eyes alighted on a blond girl sitting in one of the chairs. "Winry! You're here!"

The blonde looked up at him, and Al noticed her blue eyes were filled with unshed tears. "Al...I'm glad you're all right. But, what about...?" She began, but stopped.

Al spoke again. "He's fine. But, he's unconscious right now. We were fighting a foe, and he got injured and passed out. Did Major Hughes come with you as well, Winry?"

"No. Al, you wouldn't know because you and Ed were away for so long, but Hughes is...dead. He was murdered a few weeks ago." Winry confessed.

"I can't believe it. Should I tell Brother once he wakes up? I'm afraid of how he'll react, which sounds odd, doesn't it? I mean, he's my brother, but lately he seems to be so...scary."

"I know what you mean. The last time I talked to him, he was distant and cold towards me. It was unnerving to see him like that, Al." Winry replied, looking concerned.

"Yeah. The odd thing is, I think Brother has become too preoccupied with that stupid stone. To be honest, he's been awfully snappish with me lately and cold. I think he's too arrogant. He thinks he knows what's best for me. I almost don't want him to wake up. It feels like I'll lose him," Al confessed.

"Don't say things like that, Al! You know that he'll never disappear! He'll wake up soon enough! Besides, he loves you. Regardless of how cold he may act, he still will see reason," Winry reassured.

"I sure hope so..." Al trailed off.

"Mr. Alphonse Elric? We have successfully performed surgery on your brother, and he should be awake soon!" A nurse called out, holding a clip-on sheet.

* * *

Al and Winry both got up and strode into the patient's room. Al noticed his brother was lying unconscious on the hospital bed, and his gloves were off, leaving both of his arms exposed. There was a peaceful look on his face, but somehow...he seemed more...comatose.

"Why is he not awake yet?" Al asked.

"Calm down, Al. He's waking up right now," Winry informed.

* * *

Slowly, slowly, he was freed from the icy cold hands of darkness and rising toward the warmth of awakening. He was determined to awaken, no matter what. His golden eyes fluttered open as he awoke. He yawned, and stretched his limp muscles. However, as soon as he sat up, his head hurt. He felt it with his left arm, and realized his head was covered by a bandage. _What...?_

His eyes widened as he took in the person he both wanted to see and didn't want to see. "A-Al? What happened, and where is this...?" He asked softly.

"We're in the hospital, brother. After you passed out, I brought you here," Al explained. He was relieved. This wasn't the obsessed Ed he knew, this was his brother, acting how he should be acting.

"Oh...w-what about the stone? What happened to it?" Ed asked eagerly, before sitting up, momentarily forgetting the fact that he was_ injured_, but his body reminded him by aching. "Ow, dammit, that hurts!" He moaned.

"Brother, take it easy! You were hurt badly. You need to rest," Al urged.

"I suppose Colonel Bastard will yell at me again," Ed snarked.

"Everything'll be fine, brother," Al reassured. How was he going to tell him? He had to approach the subject carefully.

"Brother...the stone was destroyed, remember? You saw it happen before they knocked you out. Why don't we forget about the stone for a bit and let you rest?" Al explained.

"...I see. Al, this wasn't a fake stone! We really need it, so why the hell are you acting so happy about it being destroyed?" Ed snapped, his voice rising in impatience-and irritation. Uh-oh.

Al froze. His brother was in one of_ those_ moods...again. "Brother, I'm fine living like this, actually. I don't need to be human to be happy."

Ed looked at him for a few moments. "Fine...I see. Well, it's your decision to make, Al."

Al sighed in relief. His brother wasn't holding it against him.

Then, his brother sneered. "I see...my own brother isn't even convinced that I'm worth it. Dammit, Al, you know you need that stone as much as I do! We can't just live like this! Why are you being so pig-headed? You know full well that I can handle myself! I'm strong!"

Not this again. Ed's arrogance was becoming quite irritating. "Brother, stop acting so arrogant. I know that already. Why can't you listen to me?"

Ed sighed melodramatically. "I'm listening...and what I'm seeing here is that my brother is a freaking coward who can't even listen to his older brother, who is always right about everything!"

"_Always_ right? You need to get over yourself, brother!"

"Al, stop! You're just making things worse!" Winry urged,"Ed, don't be mean to your brother!"

"Shut up!" Ed cried, startling Winry into a shocked silence. "Al, you know what? You detest the homunculi as much as I do, right? So, how will you deal with them when they can kill you in a goddamned second?"

Al froze. "Brother...stop acting like this."

"Not until you see reason, Al. My brother is a big, stupid coward. I'm ashamed to even call you my brother! I wish you'd just see reason and stop being a damned brat about everything!"

Al honestly felt his heart break then. He wished he could cry now and there, but he just couldn't. His brother wasn't even aware of how much he was hurting him now. "Brother, you're so mean now! Can't you see things from my point of view?"

Ed looked at him condescendingly. "Al, you're a stupid idiot. Feel free to act like a stupid idiot. But when you fail, don't come whining to me like a little child."

"I hate you! Why don't you just disappear? You're not my brother!" Al shrieked, before running out of the room.

* * *

Ed just shrugged his shoulders. "Al'll come around sooner or later. You know that, right, Winry? Winry?" He stopped, upon seeing that she looked irate. "Look, Winry, he brought it upon himself!"

He was not expecting the sound slap to the face that Winry gave him, but he rubbed his aching cheek.

"Edward, how could you? That was the cruelest thing I've ever seen you act towards your brother! What's wrong with you? Your brother has been waiting for you to wake up and all you do is curse him out?"

Ed sighed. "Look, it's his fault. I know what's best for him."

"No, you don't. Al is right, you have changed, and not in a good way." Winry said, "Your arrogance pisses me off."

"You don't understand how I feel, Winry. No one does. You're not a damned soldier, so you're below me," Ed said, shocking Winry at his callousness.

"What happened to you? You're not acting like the boy I know and love. What made you such a cold and obnoxious asshole? Get over yourself. You're not that great," Winry snapped.

Ed was getting so tired of her whining at him about everything. "Shut the hell up, you stupid bitch. Why can't you listen to me for once?" He yelled.

"W-What did you say? Ed, you are such a jerk! A cold, heartless, good-for-nothing, jerk! You need to grow up and become responsible, really soon Hopefully, you'll outgrow your arrogance!" Winry yelled, and then she leapt on him, and attacked him with her wrench. She hit him over and over, until his headache started aching even more.

"Stop it, Winry! You're making everything worse!" Ed whined.

"Fine. If I just make everything worse, I'll just leave, Edward! I don't want to see you again!" Winry screamed, and then she stormed out.

"Winry, wait, it was all a misunderstanding, I swear!" He cried, but she just slammed the door shut. Grumbling in frustration, Ed thought over his predicament.

"Great, just great...no one is listening to me yet again. They know I'm right, why don't they just admit it? I'm really strong and it's not like I lie! Why can't they take me seriously?"

'Because you're being an arrogant brat, and that will be your downfall,' An unknown voice said.

"Who's there?" Ed demanded, but no one answered. "Geez, I'm also losing my mind as well as my friends. Could this day get any worse?"

He sighed again. "How can I live like this? At this rate, I'd rather be away from Al and Winry than anything else! Why can't someone take me seriously? Why can't Al realize that I'm right about everything, dammit! What's wrong with him lately? Why can't he stop being so self-centered? It's at times like this that I wish I was someone else...maybe crap wouldn't get pushed on me like this!" He howled.

"Yeah, right, things like that don't happen, Edward." He sneered. His vision seemed fuzzy all of a sudden. "Huh?" Ed rubbed at his eyes, but the dizziness seemed to continue.

'Oh, no, I'm gonna pass out again, aren't I?' He thought as he tried to climb out of the bed, but ultimately failed and wound up passing out on the floor. He never knew what would come next.

* * *

In another place, a girl with long, green hair sighed as she tried to rouse her bed-side partner, only to realize with great dismay that he was refusing to wake up at all. Lately, Lelouch's nerves seemed to be on edge and he was often snapping at her more often, a fact that didn't go unnoticed by her.

Her golden eyes were filled with irritation as she shook her partner. "Come on, Lelouch, wake _up." _

She heard a groan, which was a good sign. Either that or else he was pretending to be asleep, which was not good, either. "Lelouch..." She said, in growing irritation.

"Go away," Was the response she got back. Yup, definitely Lelouch.

"Come _on!" _She groaned, shaking him again.

He shifted slightly in his sleep. "C.C, leave me _alone!" _

C.C. sighed. Why was he still a jerk, even when he was barely awake? Sighing again, she shook him, "You're going to be late! Fine then, I'll just let you be late."

"Thanks, C.C," He spat back before pulling the covers on over himself again.

"That boy...he's such a pain in the ass," C.C. retorted, sometimes wishing that maybe Lelouch would learn to be nicer to her. It would be nice if he would treat her like a human being...maybe give her some more pizza? She wrapped her mind around those thoughts as she headed down the hallway, deciding to tell Nunnally not to expect her grouchy brother for a while.

She was used to his contrary nature, so this in all wasn't a surprise. Little did she know what surprises would await her later this morning when he woke up.

* * *

The darkness was abating from him, he was slowly drifting away from the chains of sleep and into awakening, which was a long and difficult process, but he was doing it and determined to wake up.

The boy, known as Edward Elric, groaned and turned over in his bed, tugging the sheets so they covered him even more and slowly began to rouse from his sleep as thoughts drifted to the top of his drowsy mind.

'Do I have to wake up _now? _I mean, Al and Winry had a fight with me last night, and they wouldn't listen to reason. Don't they know they can trust me? I am a pretty good alchemist, and quite strong at that. Why don't they listen to me? I'm in the right here, so why must I suffer?' He thought, without realizing that he had been awfully cruel to his own brother.

'Sure, maybe I acted out of line a little bit, but still, that's what he gets for not trusting in me,' He thought to himself and smiled a little. Maybe today, he'd be able to get his brother to see reason. He sure hoped so.

Groaning, he turned over, noticing how much better he felt compared to last night. He wondered how his injuries were. 'This hospital bed sure feels comfortable,' He thought to himself.

It was then, as he struggled to fall back asleep again, that a voice cut in.

"Hey, aren't you awake yet, you stupid boy?"

It was female, but laced with irritation. It didn't sound like Winry, but then again, he was half-asleep, so maybe he mistook her voice for someone else.

'Huh? Who's that?' He thought drowsily. Irritably, he ignored her and turned over, indicating that if she knew what was good for her, she should leave him alone. Angering the Full Metal Alchemist was not a wise decision to make.

Much to his surprise, he was shaken by her. Was this Winry's doing? If so, she was going to pay.

"Leave me alone, _Winry," _He growled, not in the mood to deal with her stupidity.

"Who's Winry? That's definitely not me. You need to wake up, boy. Come on, Le-"

He thought he heard her say a weird name, but his mind was falling back asleep today and he really wasn't paying much attention to the stupid girl, anyway. "Leave me alone, dammit!" He snapped.

"Fine," She said, or maybe, he didn't know...he'd fallen back asleep again, anyway.

* * *

Something bright met his vision as he tried to sink back into the covers and fall asleep, but he knew it was no use. He was going to wake up eventually, anyway. 'Another day of dealing with Al and Winry's blatant stupidity...how I look forward to it,' He thought moodily as he awoke.

He emitted a loud yawn as he tiredly stretched his limbs, trying to retain his sleep. Groggily, he realized he was lying on his side and turned over. Then he opened his eyes briefly, only to realize something odd that puzzled him for a moment: he couldn't see.

'What? Is it still dark outside?' Bewildered, Ed reached up with his right hand, at this point in time not aware that he shouldn't have done that. Something..._dark _was blocking his vision. 'Huh? Is that my stupid hair? Geez, I know I'll pull it back soon enough...that's so infuriating...'

* * *

His thoughts ground to a halt at that moment. Wait, _dark hair? _That thought puzzled Ed for a few moments. His hair wasn't dark, well, maybe dark blond a bit, but dark dark? That was impossible. He glanced drowsily at his bangs for a few moments before realizing in the dim haze of his vision, they seemed dark brown, almost..._black. _

Ed rubbed his eyes. His bangs still seemed black. 'Must be a trick of the light or else my imagination. Either way, that's odd,' He thought as he yawned again and pushed his hair out of his eyes, only for his bangs to rebel. 'Stupid hair,' He thought as he tried to see through his bangs.

The first order of business had to be to check on his wounds, of course. Ed felt his forehead before realizing the bandage on his head was missing. He paused. His head felt just fine...no injury, no bump, no nothing...wait, what?

'Have I been in a coma or something? Why doesn't it hurt?' He thought. He sat up and noticed also that he didn't feel any pain upon doing so. His chest felt fine. He glanced down at his shirt and realized it was different from the hospital outfit he'd been wearing before.

Confused, Ed looked to Al for answers. Al should be right beside him, only to find...Al wasn't there. Now feeling even _more _puzzled, Ed looked around a bit, and realized Winry wasn't there as well. Where had they gone?

Ed blinked as he took this in, then realized the bed he was lying on was not the hospital one he'd been on yesterday, it looked more like an ordinary bed, like one you'd find in a house. Ed scratched his head with his left hand, wondering what was going on. Was this some sort of trick or something, or had he been kidnapped?

He then noticed something else that was off...he was completely alone. No doctors, no nurses, no nothing. He glanced around. He came to an even more startling revelation: the room he was in was completely foreign to him. He hadn't seen it before and to top it all off, it looked like a _bedroom. _

'What the hell's going on? I burned my own damn house down years ago!'

Ed mulled over these thoughts for a bit and rubbed his eyes. The same unfamiliar scenery still met his vision. Ed pushed his hair out of his eyes again, growing more annoyed by the second. "Al?" He called out. No response came.

What was _going on here? _Had he been kidnapped or something?

Then the door opened, cutting off his confused thoughts.

A voice. It was female, but it didn't sound like Winry. In fact, it sounded completely foreign to him. "Stupid boy...why won't he wake up when he's supposed to? Yes, he's extremely fussy today...moreso than usual."

Ed watched as a green-haired girl with golden eyes entered, looking quite annoyed. She stopped upon seeing him and the two of them stared at each other for a moment, before a small smile made its way on her face.

"Oh, good. You are awake, you dumbass. Why you decided to be a royal pain today is beyond me, but at least you're up now. Good morning, Lelouch."

Ed blinked a few times, and then a few more times. What was she talking about? 'Le...louch? Who's that? That's definitely not my name.'

"Stop looking at me like that. Are you still half-asleep, Lelouch?"

"Huh?" Ed said. 'Lelouch? That's definitely not me.'

* * *

Little did he realize that he indeed looked like Lelouch. His destiny was wildly spinning out of his control, and soon he would notice that things were not what they seemed.


	2. Chapter 2 Lelouch?

**A/N:Though CrimsonLuna has adopted this, I have decided to redo it, based on the newest version I have of it. Be warned, it may be different from how it was before. Involves a clumsy and scared Ed. Natural, considering everything is out of his elements. :D **

**Chapter 2 Lelouch? Who's that? **

* * *

_"Huh?"_

Edward Elric blinked a few times in bewilderment. The young boy was quite confused about what was going on here. For one thing, where the hell _was _he? Why hadn't he woken up in the hospital where he was supposed to be recovering from a head injury? Why was he in a weird room with a girl he'd never met?

'H-Have I been kidnapped or something?' Ed thought before looking around in bewilderment. He wasn't quite sure what to make of this. But also, he felt strange somehow...almost like something was different about him. For another thing, it was hard for him to see due to the black bangs obscuring his vision...wait, what?

Ed pushed his bangs aside...only for them to fall back in his face. Grabbing a strand of hair, he stared at it before realizing that it wasn't blond...rather, it was..._black. _'Huh? My hair is..._black? _This has to be a dream.' Ed blinked in confusion. There was no way his hair could be black. He must have had a wig on or something.

'What sort of joke is this? If Al or Winry did this to me, I swear...they don't know they can trust in me...I'm the Full Metal Alchemist, after all...there's nothing I can't handle.'

As he pondered over these thoughts, the girl moved towards the bed he was lying on, startling Ed, who wondered who she was, why she was here and what she wanted from him.

"Don't give me that stupid look on your face, Lelouch. It doesn't suit you. Are you still half-asleep, or are you just deciding to act like a dumbass, today?"

'Dumbass?' A vein mark pulsed on Ed's forehead at that remark. He opened his mouth to speak. "...Where am I? This doesn't look like a hospital bed...who are you? I've never met you before in my life...and who's this Lelouch person? That's _not_ me!" He protested. He paused. 'Is it just me...or did my voice sound...raspier? That's odd.'

He put his hand on his mouth, puzzled by what had just happened.

"Lelouch, is this some sort of joke? You know who I am. Did you perhaps get amnesia or something? This isn't the first time something bad has happened to my contractors."

Ed blinked again. "What are you talking about? Who _are you? _What have you done with my brother, and where the hell am I? Besides that...wait a second, you've kidnapped me, haven't you? If you think you can hold me hostage for long, that's a mistake you'll regret, because I'm really quite strong. I can outrun you!"

The girl just raised a brow. "Kidnap? Now you're just being stupid, Lelouch."

"Stop calling me that! That's not my name! My name's Edward Elric!" Ed cried. 'Yet again, my voice sounds raspy. Why? Do I have a cold?'

"Sure you're not Lelouch. This is a poor joke to play, Lelouch."

"I can definitely fight back! I can run away from you! I'm incredibly strong!" Ed cried.

The girl just looked at him for a moment before she burst out laughing. Ed's mouth dropped open.

'Why? Why is she laughing at me? Why isn't she taking me seriously...what's going on...what's going on...what's going on?' Ed thought before staring at his hand for a moment before his gaze came to rest on her.

"Well, that's the stupidest thing I've ever heard you say, Lelouch. You can't even run for that long without getting too tired."

'What? She makes me sound weak...but I know I'm not!' "W-What are you talking about? I'm a good athlete...I'm not weak..." He stammered. 'My voice...what's wrong with it?'

"You are an idiot today, Lelouch." The girl sighed before playing with her hair. She was just making light of him, refusing to take him seriously. That just pissed him off.

"WHY ARE YOU MOCKING ME? STOP MOCKING ME, DAMMIT!" He cried.

"I'll stop mocking you once you start making sense," She retorted.

"I need answers. Where the hell am I?" He cried.

"Your bedroom like you are in every morning, Lelouch, you dumbass." She said sarcastically.

'What? My bedroom...my entire house is burned down! How the hell can this be...?' He thought. Things were just becoming more confusing by the moment.

"You're not making any sense. Besides all of that, why do you keep calling me this Lelouch person when it's not me?" He demanded.

"Because you are Lelouch," She said plainly, like it was the answer to everything.

"No, no, I'm not! What would make you believe I'm not Lelouch? Can't you see the evidence that I'm Edward Elric right in front of you?" He demanded.

"You certainly _look like Lelouch to me." _She snorted derisively. She was just treating him like a toy and that pissed Ed off to no end.

"Heh. It's not often that you see someone with golden eyes, right? I must be...unusual..." He snorted.

She just laughed at him again. "Where did you come up with that idea, Lelouch? You have purple eyes, black hair...pretty hard to find other people with that eye color...plus you're quite skinny..."

'Huh? She almost makes me sound like Wrath, but that's not what I look like at all!' Ed cried in his mind. "Are you out of your mind? That's not what I look like!"

"Believe whatever you want, crazy Lelouch." She smirked.

He stared at his hand under the covers. 'I can get her to believe me with my automail.' He smirked then. "I'll show you not to mock me! I have automail on my arm!"

"Automail?" She asked.

"Y-Yeah...it's a fake arm! My right arm's not real!"

"You're nuts. Your arms are definitely normal to me. Take a look at them if you don't believe me."

Ed just chuckled. He looked at his left arm. Normal like always...what else would he expect? He looked at his right hand, and then his eyes widened. "W-What? This can't be..."

* * *

"What's with the stupid look? It's only your right arm, as normal as it's ever been..."

"B-But this is impossible!" Ed stammered. Where he should see cold, gray, automail there was nothing. Nothing but a pale human arm with skin on it and pale human fingers. Ed blinked and touched his arm, realizing it felt real. 'But how...did I get my hands on the stone after all? Heh, I'll show her what comes from mocking me!'

He whipped his covers aside and stood up. "Okay, I'm gonna jump over and kick you to make you stop mocking me!"

"Sure you can!" She mocked.

"I-I will...!" Ed cried, and then he jumped. When he opened his eyes...he found his head and legs hurt...and he was on the floor...not standing but on the ground. Somehow he had wound up in an awkward position...it was like he had just fallen off.

'That's absurd...besides, it's not too high for me...'

He examined his legs...and then realized his left leg was as normal as his right...'What? This can't be...'

"Was your ego bruised, Mr. Egotist?" She taunted.

Ed cried, "Shut up! I'll definitely prove you wrong!"

"Are you too bruised to stand up?" She taunted.

"O-Of course not!" Ed cried as he got back to his feet. He smirked at her. "See? I'm not afraid..."

For a few moments, he was just fine, standing on his feet like always...but then, something felt...off. He noticed the room was shaking...but then he realized...he was swaying on his feet...his legs felt wobbly. Carefully, he steadied himself a bit.

'What? It's not like I'll fall down or anything...besides, it's not like I'm sick...' He thought.

WHUMP.

Suddenly, Ed tripped and fell on the floor. Startled, Ed looked up to see if he'd fallen over anything. He hadn't. 'W-W-_What? Did I just...__**fall over my **__own feet? But that's absurd.' _

"Aren't you clumsy today, Lelouch?" She taunted.

"S-Shut up!" Ed cried before getting back up again. "I'm not this Lelouch person!"

"My, my even though you look and sound like Lelouch, you're still going to deny the truth?"

"I don't know what you're talking about! What have you done with the Philosopher's stone, huh? Did you use it to mess around with me or something?" He cried.

"I don't know what you mean. Never heard of such a thing," She admitted.

'She doesn't know. Heh, then I can kick her ass with alchemy.' "I'll show you," He declared as he clapped his hands together and hit the ground. Nothing happened. 'Huh?' Ed blinked and tried again. Nothing happened again. He tried again. Nothing, not even a spark.

Ed's jaw dropped and he stared at his hands, his eyes wide. "What?" 'This...is...impossible. Once you've learned alchemy, you never fail to use it. Why can't I use my alchemy now? The girl...she knows something...but what?'

At that moment, he swayed again. Feeling uneasy, Ed leaned against the wall. 'Come on, body, proper balance here.'

Without warning, he fell over again. Ed couldn't believe what was happening here. 'W-What's wrong with _me? _Why am I so clumsy?'

"Why...am I falling over?" He muttered.

"You need a cane?" C.C. taunted, though inwardly she knew he wasn't Lelouch.

"Shut up! I won't." He cried. "Besides, you're gonna target my height next, aren't you?"

"Aren't you arrogant? Besides, why would you say a stupid thing like that when you're taller than I am?"

* * *

'Huh?' Ed stopped. "You've got a few screws loose if you think I'm taller than you are-' But then his mind stopped there. 'Wait, can it be...? The reason my body's so awkward, the reason I'm falling over...can I really be taller?'

He realized in horror that he was. 'What the hell? Something's definitely not right. How the hell did I get taller overnight? That makes no sense.'

He blinked as an unfamiliar feeling came over him. He blushed. 'Oh, geez...I've gotta use the bathroom. But how do I sneak out without her noticing..."

"What are you blushing about?" She remarked.

"I-I...um, have to use the bathroom..." Ed stammered, sounding very much like a young Alphonse.

"What's wrong, are you too afraid to stand up?" She taunted.

"Shut up. I definitely am not. I'll be fine by myself. I won't fall over or anything," He retorted.

"You sure you won't need a cane from how many times you've fallen over?" C.C. taunted.

Ed jumped slightly.

"S-Shut up, I-I definitely won't!" Ed cried.

"What happened to all of your arrogance and boastful talk from earlier? Now you sound really afraid."

"I-I'm not a-afraid. And I definitely won't need a cane, because I can control myself-AHH!" At that moment, Ed fell over again. As he got back up, he heard her laughing at him.

"This is utterly hilarious, keep on entertaining me!"

'Come on, body, move, move, MOVE!' He cried, but he fell over again just as he reached the door. He immediately slammed the door shut behind him. The only thing he could hear was her laughter. He stood there in shock. 'W-What's going on? That was embarrassing.'

"What the hell is going on? I should be able to control my own body...I can't even control it. What's going on?" He moaned before putting his head in his hands, utterly bewildered by what was happening to him.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:Yup, here's the third chapter (redone, of course, by yours truly). I didn't like the direction the other writer was going with my idea, so I figured I'd work on my own and fix it up. The end result is it looks awesome. Oh, and yes, Ed will have Lelouch's absurdly unfit state...duh, because it's Lelouch's **_**body, **_**not his own. Whereas Ed is **_**used **_**to being fit, he's not used to being as weak as Lelouch is (physically, of course.) And of course alchemy doesn't work because he has to be in his own body to use it...and he's in another world...alchemy doesn't work there. **

**Chapter 3 What the heck happened to me?!**

* * *

Edward Elric blinked for a few moments, trying hard to calm himself down...because right now, being calm was the farthest possible thing on his mind. He was in an odd situation right now and he needed to find a way _out. _

'That was embarrassing! I kept on falling over my own damned feet and she kept on laughing at me! What's going on here? Well, anyway...it shouldn't take me too long to go down this hallway...'

A few moments later, he was sadly disproven when his rebellious and _annoying _body still refused to work properly. "Dammit! Usually, this is much easier than this! What's wrong with me? If the Colonel sees me like this, he'll laugh his ass off!" He cried.

He had only struggled back to his feet a dozen times before he realized something else _odd-_he felt quite _exhausted. _'Well, perhaps struggling against the hallway of Death has worn me out sooner than I thought. I'll just rest for a bit.' He told himself as he leaned against the wall, panting...wait, what?

"This...is...absurd. I have good stamina...why am I panting like this?" He said, now noticing something else that was off. He'd run for a few hours before and had taken a long time to get tired. Why now was it, that he felt so damned exhausted? It was like his stamina had suddenly taken a nosedive. That in itself was quite alarming to young Edward.

As he stood there, his mind drifted back to the military and how he had first felt about them when he was younger. He knew full well that they were using him. He was no fool. If he was, he would have taken a few steps back when he had first joined the military and realized his mistake.

But he was a naive young child then, too naive to know the ways of the world didn't always revolve around equivalent exchange, and that sometimes good people suffered for no reason while the bad people got away with reprehensible deeds for no good reason, either. Case in point: Ishbal had been rather sobering for young Edward. It had reminded him that no matter how friendly and cheerful Mustang and his subordinates were, they were first and foremost an _army, _whose duty it was to exterminate life if they deemed it fit.

And exterminate they had, at Ishbal. Ed realized for the first time that the military was not the grand, heroic place he'd imagined it to be, but rather a cruel and despicable place that was not afraid to torture those who were their enemies.

Ed sighed as he panted, trying to get his thoughts in order, but everything was spinning out of control so fast that it was hard for him to even figure out what was wrong. Nothing had been the same when he had woken up today. He knew that much.

Instead of waking up in the hospital where he was supposed to be recovering from an _injury, he had instead been in a bedroom. _That was impossible. He had no house anymore. Not only that, there was a weird girl who had called him by a name that wasn't his. But somehow, every time he'd tried to protest her stupidity and prove to her that he was not this Lelouch person, he'd just made an ass of himself.

He couldn't walk for too long without getting tired or needing to rest, and now he was suddenly taller, with normal limbs. The most frightening thing of all, was that his alchemy wouldn't work. That was practically a death sentence for Ed.

"Well, once I figure out what's going on here, things won't seem so bad," Ed chuckled to himself, trying hard to make light of a bad and confusing situation. He finally managed to get to the bathroom and while he was there, he also noticed something else even more perplexing to add to the list of perplexing things...the buildings outside looked..._peculiar. They _looked...futuristic?

Ed just blinked. 'It's not like I'm in another world...right?' His heart sank at that sudden thought. 'Get yourself together! It's not like things like that can actually happen!'

He turned away from the window and walked over to the sink to wash his face...maybe to wake himself up from this annoying predicament...but then he realized he could touch things, walk...so this had to be real.

"I bet I have been kidnapped or something," He mumbled. "Just wait till I see her again, I'm totally gonna kick her ass if she doesn't tell me what she's done with my brother!"

He sighed then as he started to "walk" out of the bathroom-well, if nearly falling over his own feet counted as such-and then he blinked as he realized something. That girl...hadn't she said...that he had black hair and purple eyes, and...and?

"No, that's absurd!" Ed cried out loud. As he did so, he could've sworn he'd seen someone else in the room with him. 'I'm starting to lose my mind, aren't I?' He thought and cursed his paranoid mind. Of course, he was alone. Then a sudden thought came back to him...he should wash his face, just in case this WAS a dream.

So he did so, and it went just as he predicted. It felt real. So he got a towel and stole a glance at the mirror just as he happened to have his hand still on the nozzle.

Ed dropped the towel he was holding in shock. He was transfixed, too shocked at what he saw in front of him to even notice he had done so. It felt like time itself had stopped. It was here that Ed started to grasp a very unpleasant reality.

He knew full well what he looked like. He'd always had the golden eyes of his father, and the bright blond hair he'd also inherited from that man. His hair had always been long, so he'd always braided it in a ponytail. He wore gloves a lot because they helped hide his automail.

But if there was one thing that set him apart from a lot of other people, even if it was something he hated to discuss, it was that Ed was...short. Ridiculously so. But he tended to explode in fits of epic Shizuo Heiwajima-esque proportion whenever anyone brought it up, so those who knew him were wise enough to not mention it...except the Colonel.

That man loved to piss him off. He was such an arrogant ass that it sickened him to even think about it.

That was why...as he stared at the reflection that looked back at him in the mirror, he had two thoughts...first, that was not Edward Elric looking back, and second, this was a stranger he was seeing before him.

A tall, dark-haired boy with purple eyes stared back. Ed just froze for a long moment and then extended his hand forward...watching as his reflection imitated him.

Then he also noticed his hair was black...

"WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO ME?" He cried.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:Since my partner on another story has not yet sent me chapter two to revise, I figure I'll work on this story, then, seeing as I happen to have ideas for it. Ed's reaction to being Lelouch is priceless, and pretty soon we shall see how Lelouch will act as Ed and how Ed will act as Lelouch. :D **

* * *

**Chapter Four Now what? **

_"WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO ME?" _

Ed cried out loud, unable to believe what he had just seen in the mirror. Now he had..._b-black hair, purple eyes, and was skinny..._he was no longer himself, now he looked and sounded like someone else entirely! But how could something this unbelievable and irrational have happened to him? This didn't make any sense at all.

Ed blinked then and attempted to pull his hair off, in case it was a wig. It hurt. So he hadn't been hallucinating this morning when he had seen his bangs were black, it was the truth. Ed shook slightly, trying hard to swallow this unpleasant reality.

"S-So, that's why...she didn't take me seriously. Oh, Edward, who would when you look like a tall beanpole?! This is absurd...how the hell can I turn into someone else overnight? Did Envy do something to me to make me like this? No, could it be something weird and coincidental?"

He frowned, starting to walk forward a bit and then falling over his new legs. Again. "Can't you just work right?" He cried.

'Wait a second, maybe I've just wound up in someone else's body and they've wound up in mine! If that's what happened, then I've definitely got to get back to Al as soon as possible!'

He frowned again. 'That girl, she said she didn't know what alchemy was...could it be...? No, that's utterly absurd. There's no way in hell I could be in another universe entirely.' The thought dashed across his mind briefly as the panicked boy tried hard not to scream.

The first mode of action, he thought, was to discover where he was and what he should do now, then he had to figure out how to return to his brother and Winry and return to normal. But the young boy had no idea how or why something this unbelievable could have happened to him. What could have done this to him and why?

The questions were just swirling around in his mind, finding no answers from him at all. Despite how hard he tried to think of answers, none would come.

* * *

"So, now you know, huh?" The girl taunted, looking at him with amused eyes.

Ed nodded slowly. "...So, you were right. I have turned into someone else," He muttered. "This is the weirdest day of my life."

"Tell me about it," The girl said, "My name is C.C. That's not my real name, of course, but it's what you have to call me. To think you actually aren't Lelouch, well, weirder things have happened, you know."

"So...you do believe me, even when I look like this?" Ed sighed before sinking on the bed and looking up at the ceiling. "Now what do I do? I can't do alchemy in this body."

"Alchemy doesn't exist here, Edward. I hate to say it, but you've entered another world." C.C. said.

The look on Ed's face told her all she needed to know. He looked utterly shell-shocked.

"...You have got to be joking, right? ...Right?" Ed said.

"I wish I was," C.C. admitted, causing Ed to blanch slightly.

"Great...how the hell can I defend myself when I can't even fight in this body? I'm doomed, just plain doomed..." Ed moaned, putting his head in his hands.

"Stop whining and deal with it. It's real, you've just gotta deal with what's happened to you rationally." C.C. said.

"So what? How do I act like someone who I don't even know?" Ed pointed out, frustrated by her lack of knowledge.

"You figure it out," Was her response.


End file.
